Slice Of Life
by CountinggStars
Summary: Siblings always have secrets, some just happen to be more deadly. The Cartwright girls stuck together when the outbreak spread and plan to until the day they die, going it alone. Until they come across a pair of strangers that just happen to have ties to their old life that is. Now there's a choice; keep to themselves or join the Dixon brothers at camp. At what price will it come?
1. Chapter One

**Title:** Slice Of Life

**Rating:** M for language, adult content, and dark themes.

**Pairing:** Main- Daryl DixonxOFC; Side- Merle DixonxOFC

**Author's Note**: This is my first Walking Dead story, though not my first story ever. However, those stories just never seemed to set quite right and I didn't get far from the first chapters. I think this one will be different though and would love any feedback you have! Although, if you're just going to say you hate the idea and it sucks you can keep that :)

_**Warning!:** _This is a story inspired by a few very dark ones I read on the two brothers and that sparked my own idea. So it will definitely be an AU story in that sense because I doubt the real character would be like this. But once I started reading those I just couldn't get the idea out of my head and wanted to give it a shot. It'll definitely be a dark themed story so if that's not something you like you might want to stop here!

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Walking Dead, if I did- I'd be Daryl's girlfriend! I also own nothing copyrighted or trademarked. Just my little ole original characters and my own ideas!**_

Thanks for giving it a shot!

* * *

**-Prologue-  
One Month Pre-Outbreak**

* * *

I sighed deeply, any worries about the mishaps we'd had the night before easing out of my veins as I took a quick swing from the vodka bottle next to me. I winced slightly, unable to keep a straight face as the liquid fire coursed down my dry throat, wetting it even though it burned like hell. I coughed once lightly and rose to my feet, cutting the television's loud volume before tossing the remote down and striding through the apartment to Jenny's bedroom. I knocked twice before using my toe to open the door, not at all surprised that she was already getting ready. I always was the one that worried a little more than my older sister when it came to our hobbies.

"So?" She murmured, flipping her hair over.

I made a non-committal noise before crossing my fair-skinned arms over my chest, watching as she teased and tossed her wavy blonde locks.

"We're in the clear." I answered quietly. "Didn't even make the news. They're all over these girls that keep disappearing."

"_Bastards_." Jenny hissed, flipping her head back up. "Keep findin' every _other_ douchebag in these bars except the ones we really want."

I hummed quietly, gazing at myself through her mirror. My gold streaked brunette colored hair was still wet and hanging heavily around my face, the towel I wore barely wrapped around my frame respectfully and my greenish hazel eyes seemed dim with worry- though they were lightening as we spoke.

"Think we're ever going to get 'em?" I questioned, borrowing her comb to start the long process of getting ready.

Jenny sighed deeply, almost pained, and shook her head with a shrug. I took that as an _'I__ have no fucking clue'_ and sighed in response before padding to my own room where I blew my hair dry into long, straight locks. I made quick work of shrugging from my towel and slipping into the lacy underwear Jenny had appeared with a few weeks back before I gazed at the clothes hanging in my closet. Our hunting ground of choice for the night was a bar on the outskirts of town, an old country joint that was sure to be just as filled with pigs as it was southern gentleman. I grabbed the low-rise jeans before shimmying into them, the denim pulling tight across my ass. Next up was the white corset that smoothed over my stomach and pushed my breasts high to create ample creamy white cleavage while still displaying a few inches of tanned stomach between it and my jeans.

"Boots." I murmured distractedly as I searched in my cluttered closet.

"Here." Jenny called.

I poked my head into the hall to see her pointing toward the living room before I noticed the black leather peeking out from under the couch. I frowned at them a moment before shrugging and slipping into them. Expensive perfume, smokey makeup and my signature charm bracelet finished off my ensemble before I made my way to the kitchen.

"I look like the devil next to you." Jenny muttered, half-teasing and half-annoyed.

Rolling my eyes, I glanced in the full length mirror that hung over the pantry door. I did have a certain virginal appeal, but I was far from innocent.

So very, _very_ far.

* * *

The music pulsed in my ears as I leaned back against the bar, my eyes darting around the packed tables and dance floor repeatedly. Jenny had disappeared into the shadows, more than likely scoping out the guys for the night. That was never my part, not the initial picking anyway. I was the little sister that stepped in to offer the threesome dancing, to dangle the idea of sex in their face, to help seal the deal and tempt them away to play.

But the picking was _all_ Jenny.

We had a protocol, a code.

Tonight though, I felt different in the bar where I normally felt at ease trusting Jenny to handle her end.

Initially I thought it was because I'd been so nervous about the possibility of creating a trail that would lead right to us the night before, but now that I'd checked online updates and seen multiple news broadcasts only for them to reveal nothing about our extracurriculars, it shouldn't have been a big deal. Something was off though, I could feel it. My skin was flushing, tinting pink, and _not_ just because I was knocking back a shot or two. It was something else entirely and I was trying in vain again and again to find it.

And then there it was.

Eyes.

Ice-blue that made me shiver from head to toe while a fire sparked somewhere deep in my chest at the same time.

They hovered over me, locking with my own hazel-green ones that were probably shimmering in the barlight. I got the feeling that they had been scanning me repeatedly as I sat at the bar, but now that I'd caught them, they held my own.

My tongue snaked out of its own accord, wetting my lips gently as I let my eyes dip to his own lips that had mimicked my action. As if seeing me do it provoked _him_ to do the same. He wasn't a huge guy, yet I could feel the power radiating from him all the way across the bar. There was a certain air of dominance as he gazed back at me, challenge clear in his bright, clear eyes. He was taller than me, I could tell even from his slouched position against the wall across the noisy room, his work booted foot pressed into the dirty bar's wall. The muscle on the guy was damn near captivating, the way it rippled with an action as simple as lifting the beer he held to his lips.

"Hey there pretty thang."

A slurring, intoxicated voice murmured near my ear, making my nose wrinkle in disgust as the alcohol scented breath of the guy next to me washed over my senses. I sent him a tight smile before turning my head back toward the blue eyes, only to find them gone.

I sighed in disappointment, already missing the feeling they'd given me.

The adrenaline when Jenny and I played was a high that sent me sky-rocketing, but this…_this_ had been a whole new level of greatness. It had every nerve-ending in my body called to attention and just staring at him had gotten my blood pounding in my veins, my muscles clenching throughout my body with need and desire, and my breath came a little faster.

"I'm talkin' to ya girl." The drunk muttered, getting annoyed.

"Fuck _off_." I hissed, agitation setting in like ice in my veins.

It was _his_ damn fault I'd missed the guy.

He let out a sound of outrage before latching onto my elbow in a surprisingly painful grip considering he'd seemed completely inebriated only moments before. I let out a small and sharp gasp, yanking at my arm, but he only held on tighter and the shooting pain in my joint warned me not to pull anymore unless I really wanted a dislocated shoulder.

"Let. Go." I snarled, my eyes narrowing as I bit off each word. "Of. Me."

He cackled quietly and my eyes darted around the bar, searching out Jenny for a little help, but she was no where to be seen. I vaguely worried for her, she _never_ went off on her own for long with a target and usually stuck to the dance floor until she could give me the signal to join in.

"Lil' feisty one we got here guys."

I froze at his words, picking up on the other two men that seemed to appear from the shadows. I panicked mentally, hissing at myself for not noticing their pack of creeps before they got to me. I hadn't even fucking seen the other two the entire time I'd been dealing with the asshole next to me and now I was stuck without backup to take care of-

"Let 'er go."

My heart jumped at the deep voice, raspy and rough like sandpaper as it growled out the words from behind me threateningly. I didn't have to turn, already knowing exactly who it was that had spoken up.

The blue-eyed stranger.

"She don't belong to _you_." The pig still manhandling me snapped.

"She does if I say." Blue-eyes snapped back, his body tense behind mine.

We weren't touching but I could practically _feel_ the tight muscles of his arms and chest balling up and solidifying behind me, rippling with the effort to not pummel the guy in front of me at that very second.

"No she-" He started, clearly pissed.

"I _do_."

My words of agreement came from nowhere, a complete surprise to us all, including the man behind me. I felt rather than heard his stall before his large and warm hands slipped around my waist, pressing against the bare skin my corset had left exposed for all to see. He dipped his head to the place between my neck and shoulder after pulling my hair back as I gazed at the drunken guy still holding onto me in shock before I felt the man's teeth lightly graze my skin, sending a shiver straight down my spine.

"_What the hell?"_ My mind reeled, even though there was nothing but pleasure in the nip.

As if it was some silent communication, the drunk holding my arm dropped it like it was on fire and stepped away, fading into the shadows with his buddies by his side as quickly as he could. I relaxed, letting out a gust of air from my lungs as my body sagged into the stranger's chest behind me. His fingers dug into my hip for only a few moments and I heard him take a deep breath near my ear before he pushed be forward gently, placing me back on the bar stool I'd somehow vacated.

"Thanks." I murmured gratefully, signaling the bartender for two shots.

"S'nothin." Blue-eyes murmured back uncomfortably, standing still at my side.

I turned to look at him and was instantly sucked back into the piercing blue gaze as my eyes traced the features of his face, taking in his scruffy hair and the stubble over his chin and lip. He had backwoods written _all_ over him which had never been my type but this guy…he was something else and he'd started something inside me.

That's why I was about to do something I had never done.

"Listen," I started after knocking back a shot. "Do you ever-"

"Gotta go." He muttered, focusing on something over my head toward the door. "Watch yer ass in this place Princess."

I choked on air when his disappeared as suddenly as he'd popped up, slinking into the shadows so expertly that I even couldn't find him again. It made my eyes narrow in suspicion but I didn't have long to contemplate it because Jenny showed up at my side seconds after looking completely disheveled and thoroughly fucked.

"What the _HELL_!?" I spat, anger rolling through my body.

"I can't even begin to explain." She huffed, sliding onto the stool next to me.

This new stunt was _not_ in the protocol, _not_ in the code, this was just her pure selfishness running ramped through the night and if the blue-eyed stranger _hadn't_ been there, I would have been the one to pay the price. I stood and yanked her roughly from the bar, not even caring that she was shouting in protest and older than me.

I was fucking pissed.


	2. Chapter Two

**Author's Note:** Just wanted to post the warning one more time here in case anyone didn't catch it! Doubtful, but still! This is the second chapter and it fast forwards to post-outbreak of the virus taking over everything! We find our sister duo outside of Atlanta after making a supply run! Remember- love reviews and feedback so shoot me one! Otherwise I'll think the story sucks...which it might! Haha, read on!

_**Warning!:** _This is a story inspired by a few very dark ones I read on the two brothers and that sparked my own idea. So it will definitely be an AU story in that sense because I doubt the real character would be like this. But once I started reading those I just couldn't get the idea out of my head and wanted to give it a shot. It'll definitely be a dark themed story so if that's not something you like you might want to stop here!

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Walking Dead, if I did- I'd be Daryl's girlfriend! I also own nothing copyrighted or trademarked. Just my little ole original characters and my own ideas!**_

* * *

_**-50 Days Post-Outbreak-  
Rachel's POV**_

* * *

The world had changed, and it changed us with it.

Even though it was now a place that people like us could live in without any real worry about consequences to our urges, it came with a price. Our once formal set of rules had been warped to include what we could make do with when the urge hit. We'd always been less on the right side of the law but after living in a world where the dead rose to eat the living, it pushed us even further from law-abiding than before.

We took what we needed, what we wanted, when we wanted to.

That was how we'd come across the beauty of a truck that was now speeding down the open highway, carrying us in the opposite direction of the city after we'd made a run in for supplies. The place was crawling with the dead and was even more dangerous every time we ventured in, but it was a necessary evil.

The guy we'd gotten the truck from had been a dick anyway.

"Station up here on the right." Jenny murmured, turning down the music my iPod supplied to the radio since the stations had long since cut out.

I nodded in answer, reaching behind me in the backseat for the compound bow that had become my new bestfriend and the guns Jenny and I always strapped on when we got out of the truck. My thigh holster belted around my right leg, snapping in place before I slid the Glock into it's space inside of it on the outside of my leg. The machete would be next in the strap on the left side of my waist after I stepped out before I'd slide the quiver of arrows for my bow over my right shoulder.

Jenny's thing was knives, always had been, even before.

That and our mother's old gun.

"_Wait_," I murmured quietly, shutting the music off.

"What?" Jenny asked, glancing around.

My eyes narrowed at the sight in front of me, locking onto the gas station ahead. There was a lighter blue truck, older model, sitting in the parking lot and if I looked closely I could just make out two people milling about out front of it.

"People."

Jenny slowed the truck, cutting the engine so we wouldn't be overheard from our quarter-mile out. I watched carefully through the binoculars we had, judging the movements of the people in front of us to try and determine if they were living or if they had come back to life in _hunt_ of the living.

"Alive or dead?" Jenny muttered.

"Alive," I whispered, gazing steadily. "I think. Looks like two guys to me, both around the same height but one's a little more stocky and looks like he's got less hair."

We sat back, watching as the men walked around and checked the broken down cars for supplies, weighing our options. We'd just had our fill the day before, satisfying the urges for the time being, but with the stress of the new world we could always use the chance to blow off a little more steam. Plus they might have supplies we'd want.

"What do you think?" Jenny asked.

She'd made me a bigger part of the decision-making process since the incident all those months ago, _especially_ when everything had been shot to hell.

I arched a brow and smirked. "Why not?"

She grinned cattily and we both slinked from the truck, attaching and readying weapons as we did. Our steps made absolutely no noise, pure silence as we slipped forward, darting from car to car in order to stay hidden. It wasn't the best angle to come in at but we'd done this multiple times, had a system. As we drew nearer I picked up on the dirty brunette's body, my lips curving in a pleasurable smile as I raked his body over. For some reason it looked vaguely familiar but I chocked it up to the insanity of the post-apocalyptic world. I arched a brow and nodded in the brunette's direction.

"He looks delicious." Jenny murmured approvingly.

"He's fucking _mine_." I growled through a smirk.

She grinned and nodded, continuing forward. We had just about made it when she pulled up short, making me knock into her from behind just slightly with a small _'umph!'_ sound escaping my tight lips.

"Where'd he go?" Jenny murmured.

I angled my body around her, searching out the guy I'd been eyeing only minutes before as we scampered through the maze of cars, but he was nowhere to be found. A sharp tingle zapped up my spine, screaming in recognition once more, but I pushed it off in annoyance.

"Well _fuck_." I hissed angrily.

"Let's just get _this_ one taken care of," Jenny murmured. "We can go from there."

"You mean _I_ can go." I corrected territorially.

She sighed quietly and nodded, signaling me forward before she rounded in the opposite direction to come at the man from his side. I rose from my crouched position, drawing back the string on my bow with an arrow already in place as I leveled it on the guy's head who still had his back to me.

Unaware idiot.

Jenny moved up stealthily along the side of the truck as I watched from my position further away, still training my eyes on the guy in case he made a move for my older sister. She leaped out easily, her blade ready to take action even though it wouldn't be the blow that'd kill him. I smirked as I watched her work, admiring her steps and silence.

That's when I felt the sharp edge of a blade slide against my throat.

Heated metal from being tucked into a hot body pressed to my skin, sliding down the fair expanse threateningly as hot breath tickled my neck and ear.

"Shhhh, you mak'a noise," He muttered. "I'll slit yer throat."

The voice drew on something in my subconscious, making my insides heat up at the sound of it, but I ignored the sensation entirely as I attempted to struggle for my knife after letting the string of my bow back gently. He beat me to it though, latching an arm that was banded with muscle like steel around my small waist and hoisting me backwards, the edge of his knife pressing in a little closer over the ridges of my throat to keep me quiet. A small sharp sting zipped through my body making me wince, and then I felt warm liquid pooling lazily in the dip of my throat.

Blood.

The bastard had _cut_ me.

I decided then that I just might make my first kill on my own tonight.

The man hushed me once more as I kicked backwards at him, drawing me up to his chest and squashing me there heavily as the blade picked a new spot to hover over. Even though I was _seriously_ pissed off, I was at least slightly thankful he wasn't the type to put it right back where it had been before.

I screamed at Jenny with my mind but she was entirely oblivious, something that wasn't surprising. Our mental communication had been off since the night she left me at that bar and I'd used a stranger's help over hers. A hot one, but a stranger nonetheless. I still screamed out loud though when the man she'd been stalking whipped around at the last second, catching her off guard and backhanding her. She landed a few feet from him on the ground with a solid thud, a complete mess with her hair everywhere. There was another sharp shooting pain throughout my body as the knife made a second slice in warning to shut up but I continued to shout to her to get her ass up, ignoring the blood that now dripped down my throat as if it was nothing.

"Thought ya'd sneak up on me huh?" The man sneered down at Jenny, his voice even rougher than his counterpart who held me.

Speaking of, said man was shoving me forward to join us with my sister and the other man. I fought and scratched, still attempting to get to my knife or gun, but he seemed to know just where to put his thick arm so that I couldn't get to it. It was entirely frustrating.

"Whatcha catch 'ere Darylina?" The balding man leered. "Sure is a fiery lil' ole thang."

"You son of a _bitch_!" I spat at him, smirking when I got him some in the chest.

He just laughed though, throwing his head back and grinning from ear to ear. I narrowed my eyes at him, watching as he got his kicks while the one that held me seemed to simply look on silently.

"Suppose you's right." The man mused once he could speak. "But I'm the sum'bitch _you_ bitches tried yer hand at messin' with."

I stayed quiet; I couldn't deny that one.

A moaning pain came from the ground and my heart kicked in my chest, restarting at a much higher rhythm than before. I felt the man holding me tense for a moment but he seemed to relax, as much as he could at least considering he was handling a lethal girl in his hands. Jenny moved around on the ground jerkily, seemingly coming out of whatever brief unconsciousness the guy had struck her with before her worried eyes darted up to me. The growl that came from her chest when she saw the blade against my throat, sunlight glinting off of it, was positively spine tingling but I shook my head quickly and darted my eyes to the man that now stood behind her in warning.

She froze, looked up, and let out the breathiest gasp I'd ever heard.

Like it was almost…_pleasurable_.

Then there was the moment that she jumped up, her wide and shocked eyes matching the expression on the man's face before she just…jumped him.

The man holding me jerked uncertainly but his partner held up his hand and turned, showing us both that her attack hadn't been one with intent to kill but one with intent to _kiss_. She was all over him! Biting and sucking at him uncontrollably while he did the same to her before walking over and setting her on the truck's hood behind us to continue his assault. The guy holding me was so entirely shocked at the behavior that the blade dropped from my throat and released me. But I didn't move away, just turned when he did to watch as my sister put her best fucking moves all over this totally random guy who'd just knocked her to the ground.

"What the _FUCK_?!" I screeched, unable to hold in my chaotic thoughts anymore.

Laughter came from them before Jenny sat up and grinned at me, resting her hands on the man's chest who leered back at me knowingly. I arched a brow, unable to recognize him or make a connection to him from life before, but she waved her hand at me after catching her breath, ready to explain.

"Rach," she breathed happily. "This is Merle. Merle, meet my baby sister- _she's_ the one I told you about that night."

My eyes grew large, glancing from her to him and back again without comprehending.

"Nice ta meet ya sweet cheeks." Merle cackled. "Ya weren't kiddin', she one helluva spitfire."

The man laughed with Jenny and I glared sternly at them both, entirely pissed that I was being left in the dark on whatever the hell this was. Confusion and a little bit of anger seemed to radiate from the guy behind me but I ignored him and kept my eyes glued to the couple in front of us.

"Kept fightin' my lil' bro over 'ere," Merle continued. "Even when she met 'is knife."

The mention of the blade alerted me to the pain in my throat again and I glanced down to see the trails of blood that had trickled down my chest more heavily than before, staining my shirt. I sighed quietly in annoyance, it'd been one of my favorites. None of us really took into account just how much blood I had actually lost after that second cut that had proven deeper than the first. There was a good bit staining my throat, chest and dripping back over my shoulders but it was heavy and dark because I was dehydrated from the day.

"She's good like that." Jenny murmured, glancing at me in concern.

"Seems that'a way," Merle continued before motioning behind me. "An that's Daryl, _my_ lil' brother behind 'er there."

I glared at them both heatedly before I turned to meet the man who'd cut me twice, not expecting much of it. But then my greenish hazel eyes landed on bright ice blue ones and I sucked in a breath, sounding not unlike Jenny had before. The blue ones across from me widened slightly as mine darted over their owner to take in the familiar body structure, his bloodied shirt from holding me back against him, and waves of recognition rolled through me, explaining the sensation I'd had before that something about the brunette was familiar.

It was the blue-eyed stranger from the bar.

And that sharp gaze was the last thing I saw.


	3. Chapter Three

******Author's Note:** Another chapter here! It's so awesome to see I have some followers and favorites! You guys rock! I seriously hope you're enjoying the story even though it's just begun! I can't wait to see where it goes!

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Walking Dead, if I did- I'd be Daryl's girlfriend! I also own nothing copyrighted or trademarked. Just my little ole original characters and my own ideas!**_

* * *

**_-Rachel's POV_-**

* * *

Darkness swam in front of my eyes as I attempted to force them open so that I could see, but nothing came of it. The only thing that stayed was the pitch black that clouded over my eyes and made it impossible to see anything. My other senses seemed to be heightened though because I could vaguely hear a deep rumbling that was louder than I expected and it vibrated through me, rocking the plush surface I was face down on. A particularly hard jolt rocked through me and pain blasted through my neck before shooting down into the rest of my body, making my stomach flip and turn in nausea. I let out a weak whimper of a moan in response, certain that death was supposed to be much more peaceful than this.

"S'alright." Someone murmured, more to themselves than me. "S'all gonna be alright."

I was _also_ pretty sure death wasn't supposed to come with company.

My eyes fought to open themselves, a battle that proved to be minutes long and only lasted mere seconds once I finally won it. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the haze from my vision as I took in a stained floorboard and cloth seat under me.

"_Sure thought the truck was leather._" I mentally forced out in my muddled brain.

I turned my head, ignoring the searing pain that shot through my neck as I glanced at what seemed to be an old dash leading up to an even older radio. My brows furrowed, knowing damn good and well this wasn't the truck Jenny and I had been occupying lately. The pain in my neck finally became too much though and I collapsed back against the seat, coughs wracking my body violently as I moaned through the pain they brought in my throat.

"Easy." Someone murmured again.

A warm hand pressed over my neck tightly and I struggled, though it was sickeningly feeble. Fear gripped me and I wondered if whoever it was that had me was going to finish the job of killing me right then and there. I tried to force my eyes open again but there was nothing.

Only darkness and the vague sounds of someone trying to hush me.

* * *

I woke a few more times like that, though it wasn't exactly that way because there was no large hand at my throat or promises from a mysterious voice that everything would be just fine.

However, there _was_ this strange sheet above me that was a yellowy-brown color and made my nose wrinkle inside my mind when I saw it. I had just enough time to make out a small crack in the sheet and noticed faint blue sky, but then I was gone again as blackness reached up and drug me under once more.

The next time my eyes opened I managed to dimly snatch a glimpse of my sister kneeling by my side with worry etched all over her normally warrior strong face. She called to me quietly but I couldn't answer, couldn't even croak out a word or mumble. She tried pressing a water bottle to my lips and I got to momentarily enjoy the feeling of the cool liquid on my tongue before I started to cough and sputter, choking as it flowed down my sore throat. My expression didn't change at all as I gazed at her but I frowned internally when I picked up on faint bruising over her cheek because I couldn't remember it being there before.

Before…_before_ was when we met those men and she'd-

Shadows filled my vision another time, bouncing off the strange sheet in the darkness. They flickered slightly and my eyebrows actually pulled down in confusion before my sluggish thoughts caught up with me to tell myself it was because of a fire, _firelight_ made things dance in the dark. There was another shadow though in the corner of the weird room I was in, hunched down on the floor. I got the feeling there was someone there, staring back at me, but even as I squinted I couldn't make anyone out. I tried to move my legs to swing over the side so I could get a better look but just the simple movement sent pain screaming through my body.

There was a high-pitched noise and suddenly a flurry of movement from all around me, strong hands gripping my body and holding me still to keep me from thrashing, hysterical yells and shouts from someone who sounded like Jenny and a gruff voice shouting for help to hold me down or I'd bust stitches.

Then darkness.  
Sweet, peaceful, pain-free.

Nothingness.

* * *

**_-Daryl's POV-_**

* * *

Watching her.

It had become like a compulsion, a job, a responsibility even though he knew he didn't owe the bitch a thing. _She'd_ come up on them first, made a move first, threatened them first. So why the hell did he feel the need to watch her, constantly. Every minute of every hour of every _fucking_ day.

He was never too far.

In reality, it wasn't like he had anything else to do anyway. But people were beginning to notice, pick up on what he was doing. He hadn't been hunting in days, ever since they'd rushed in with her bleeding in his arms, and the camp was low on meat.

They all feared him and his brother, with good reason- they were scary as fuck and knew it. Abrasive, rude, pissed off a good three quarters of the time.

Still, they depended on him.

It was annoying as hell but Merle said it was good to keep up, a good front for when they robbed the place blind and left in the dark of night.

But _now_?

Now he watched.

It was something he'd done from the beginning with her, from before the whole world went to shit and suddenly there were dead people up and walkin' around. He'd watched her breeze into the crowded bar on the heels of an older version of herself, watched her take shots, watched the way her throat constricted on the liquid fire as she swallowed each drop down and made him stiffen slowly.

Watched her find him, make eye contact with him, hold his penetrating gaze. Watched her ignore the douche next to her, watched her seek him out, watched her relax at his touch; _give_ herself over to him without him even needing to ask, without a second thought- sure that she was safe.

Far from it.

He'd barely seen her coming, though he didn't know it was her then. He saw her fire as she struggled even as his blade dipped into her fair skin, the mix of the two turning him on in ways he couldn't express.

He'd watched her anger, her surprise, the pure shock crossing her face when she made eye contact with him for the second time.

He'd seen her falling before he shot forward, catching her before she hit the ground in a heap.

What he _hadn't_ seen was how close to passing out she'd been, how dehydrated she was, how the blood looked.

The blood, thick and heavy settled in his hands as he carried her to the truck.

He heard the slam of his brother's heavy fist into her sister's face, heard the plan to introduce them to the group- two sisters who had been overrun by men, assaulted, threatened, beat and cut.

Her blood on _his_ hands.

And now he watched her here, lying on his bed in his tent, her blood soaking the stained blankets when she had still bled through the stitches her sister had seemingly expertly sewn. He was there each time she opened her eyes, watching from his corner of the heated tent, waiting for her to wake. She had three times, but each time she'd faded away again and her sister had become more and more worried she wouldn't make it, even as they pushed water on her, tilting her head back to help her swallow.

It was a good thing he watched.

Because this time, she woke and gazed around her, centering in on the shadows of the night before taking notice of him for the first time since he'd sliced her a week before. She stared at him steadily, squinting as if she couldn't make him out.

But then she tried to move and everything went to shit from there.

Kicking, thrashing, screaming just like she had the day he'd snatched her up against him. Only this time she was going to hurt herself, bust the stitches that held her skin together at the neck or worse. That didn't stop her though from continuing to scream, even as he sprang into action and clamped his hands down on her shoulders.

"Need some help in 'ere!" Daryl shouted, forcing his gruff voice to rise over hers.

Scuffling sounded out from the outside before the thin material of the tent door was thrown to the side hastily and her blonde sister rushed in followed closely by his brother, the Chinaman and the douchebag who'd deemed himself leader of the group.

"What the _hell_ happened?" Shane shouted above her screams and his grunts.

Even weak she was damn hard to contain.

"Rach? Rach!" Jenny shouted through almost tears, bending over her sister's thrashing body next to him. "Rachel Lee you _stop_ this!"

Daryl grunted again, making eye contact with his brother over the crying girl's shoulder. She'd been tough as nails, they both knew it, but the possible loss of her sister had set a stress so heavy on her she'd been near breaking down for days. Daryl motioned to the screaming girl's ankles with his head, needing help Jenny couldn't give. Merle got the message and latched onto Rachel's legs, pushing her down into the makeshift bed heavily.

"You…you- what are you _doing_ to her?!" The Asian kid yelled, panicked at seeing both of the roughnecks manhandling the pretty girl they'd hauled in.

"What _needs_ ta be done!" Daryl grunted, leaning down over her again to band and arm over her heaving chest.

"We don' an she'll blow them stitches quick like. Prolly won' make it a second time'a round." Merle snapped, his easy anger ignited by the nosey geek.

She carried on a few seconds more but with such strong grips to work against, the fight left her body as quickly as it had come and she slipped back into a deep sleep again, her breath labored but steady. Daryl rocked back on his heels at her head while Merle gave him a sharp nod before dismissing the other camp members and pulling Jenny out of the small tent. The girl needed a break from it all, and he could give that to her no problem.

Daryl stood, ignoring the sting of muscles uncramping as he gazed down at the girl once more. He pushed the hair away from her sweaty forehead before righting the thin blanket on top of her bare skin that he tried desperately to ignore.

She looked too damn _good_, even sick and fragile.

"Jus' wake yer ass up Princess." He muttered, resuming his position in the corner. "Wake up."


	4. Chapter Four

_**Author's Note:** _New chapter here! Glad to see that my favorites and follows are increasing- you guys are great! I'm really looking forward to uploading more chapters and seeing how this goes. I've got so many different routes I feel like I can take. Did anyone catch that episode last night?! HOLY HELL! :D

Read on friends, read on!

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Walking Dead, if I did- I'd be Daryl's girlfriend! I also own nothing copyrighted or trademarked. Just my little ole original characters and my own ideas!**_

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_**-Rachel's POV-**_

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_I felt the thick fog around my mind lifting, the haze in front of my vision slowly diminishing until there was nothing left and my eyelids were finally able to flutter open. I laid without moving, staring up at the bright white tiles that formed the ceiling above me as my brows furrowed in confusion._

_This wasn't where I'd woken up before._

_Gingerly, I swung my legs over the side of the sheet-less cot I was laid across. I expected searing pain like I vaguely remembered from before but none came and I was easily able to bend my knees so I could lift myself into a sitting position. A shiver traced my spine when my bare feet connected with freezing cold tiles that were the same bright white color as the ceiling was. My hand instinctively rose to my throat, knowing there should be some pain from that area. But there was nothing, not even a scratch._

_"What the hell?" I asked aloud, my hands circling my neck hastily._

_"Watch your mouth young lady."_

_A gasp ripped through my throat when the echo of the familiar voice rang out, bouncing off the white walls of the tiny room. I was on my feet in seconds, spinning around in circles as my eyes darted around the room in search of its owner, but she wasn't there. My hands shook violently and my eyes widened to a comical size I'm sure, but still…she wasn't there._

_"Here sweetheart."_

_I whipped around immediately at her words, my hand flying to my mouth as a film of tears covered my eyes when they laid on her. She stood there with a sad smile, dressed all in white with hair like mine that curled in easy waves down her shoulders._

_"M-mom?" I whispered, unbelieving._

_She nodded slightly, continuing to gaze at me._

_"H-how? I don't…I don't understand."_

_My voice rose a little on the words, gaining strength as my eyes gulped her in. I hadn't seen her in years, years and years, and now she was there; right in front of me._

_"You can't give up Rachel." She murmured, tilting her head down._

_I frowned at her words, not understanding the meaning. I couldn't give up? I was living in the damn apocalypse, kicking ass and taking names at Jenny's side. We'd plowed through uncountable numbers of the dead, stuck by each other's side despite each other's vices since they day our mother had died…how was I giving up?_

_"You mustn't give up Rachel."_

_My frowned deepened and I opened my mouth, voicing my thoughts. "Give up what? The world has ended, what's left to give up?"_

_She was silent a moment as she gazed at me, that knowing stare leveling on my eyes as I began to get that vague feeling that I was in trouble like I had when I was younger; so much younger. Back when she'd been there, when they hadn't taken her away._

_"Hope." My mother whispered before staring down at my hands. "Don't give up hope."_

_She continued to stare down where my hands gripped my sides and I glanced down to catch a glimpse of what she was staring at only to scramble back, a piercing scream gurgling out of my throat. My hands were stained hues of red, completely coated in blood as it dripped to the floor and pooled around my feet in a rising puddle. In my hasty retreat my feet sloshed around in the warm liquid, kicking it up and splashing it across the pristine tile to stain the white expanse there. I looked up in a panic for my mother, not understanding what this could mean, but she was gone again._

_The blood surged up, rising quickly to flood the room._

_It hit my hips, my waist, my chest as I clawed at the walls after jumping up on the cot. But there was no way out, no escape from the rising crimson tide, and soon the metallic liquid flooded my mouth as I sputtered and choked on the bitter taste and tried to swim my way-_

Adrenaline coursed through my veins in an icy-hot wave as I gasped deeply for breath, marveling that my airways were no longer blocked with gallons and gallons of blood. I snapped my head left and right, taking in the same yellow-brown sheets that enclosed me in a small area and I dimly recognized it as a tent when I hadn't been able to before. I swung my head in all directions, wincing at the sharpness of pain that shot through my neck when I did so this time, but there was no blood, no white tiles…no ghost of a mother.

"Jesus _Christ_." I muttered, dropping my head in my hands.

My lungs continued to suck in deep gulps of oxygen like I'd been depriving them of the necessary element while I'd been dreaming and as the adrenaline wore down I picked up on the growing soreness in my neck and muscles along with the sweltering heat that seemed to settle in the small enclosure. I gently touched my fingers to my throat, only to find that I couldn't get to the skin there. Instead, there were what felt like thick gauze bandages that covered the area where I was cut. Kicking my legs gently, only to cringe at the pain that radiated through them from nonuse, I pushed the blankets away to reveal my bare skin, only covered by an old pair of spandex shorts I'd used to sleep in and a sports bra.

"What the…" I murmured, glancing around.

But there were no other clothes for me anywhere…not for a _girl_ at least.

I needed answers, _now_, because it seemed I'd woken up in a whole new alternate dimension than I'd already been in.

Taking another deep breath, I pushed at the makeshift bed under me to lift myself to shaking legs that wobbled on the uneven ground underneath my feet. Each step was like learning to walk again as I inched toward the flap that rippled in a heated breeze gently. The closer I got the easier it was to make out noises coming from outside my confines; voices, laughter, the scraping of pots and pans…all sounds you wouldn't expect when the world had gone to shit.

Grasping the flap tightly in one hand and steeling myself, demanding balance, I pulled it back and squinted against the bright sunlight that flooded my vision and made it hard to see. The hot breeze actually felt decent against my heated skin, pushing the hair back from my face with its sharp gusts that came every few seconds as it tore through the area I found myself standing in.

There were multiple tents in addition to the one I'd just stepped from, it looked to be about fifteen or twenty at a rough guess and a large RV seemed to hold the central spot with a handmade fire pit in front of it, making it the center of what could only be a camp. People milled about doing random chores or simply sat talking and I easily picked up on the fact that the women seemed to be handling 'kitchen duty'. Movement to the left caught my eye and I arched a brow when I noticed three or four kids playing with a few balls off to the side. No one seemed to have noticed me yet and I took that moment to gaze around me, taking it all in.

"Where the _hell_ am I?" I hissed aloud to myself.

"Camp." A gruff voice echoed out behind me, answering my question.

"_SHIT!"_ I screeched, whipping around as I tried to step backwards, only to have my movements become an epic fail.

His thickly muscled arms shot out and grasped my waist, tugging me back toward him and holding me upright so that I wouldn't fall to the dusty ground beneath our feet. Somehow, in the entire flurry of movement, he managed to never hold me against him for too long. Like touching me was uncomfortable but necessary.

"Easy Princess." He murmured, steadying me on my feet before letting go of me.

I gazed up at the stranger with blue eyes, my mind trying to filter through the last events that I could remember. The run in the city, seeing two men at the gas station, sneaking up on them and then being grabbed, the knife…and those _eyes_.

Those gorgeous and soul-piercing blue eyes that I had thought of on countless occasions since I'd first seen them months before.

I looked up at him with wide eyes, still trying to grasp onto the reality of my surroundings after being thrown off by the nightmare and the fact that I was in a new place. He simply stared back down at me silently, his eyes squinting against the sun and his lips set in a small scowl.

"Are you okay?!"

"Is she-?"

Shouts rang out from the camp behind us and I saw and felt the man tense in front of me. He was uneasy as heavy footsteps trotted over to where we stood and I got the distinct feeling that something was going on I was unaware of. My best bet until I could talk to Jenny would be to play it by ear and follow this guy's lead. His hard eyes gazed down into mine, silently communicating the same realization I had already drawn and I nodded curtly before turning to find a small group of people crowding the area we stood in.

One was tall with unruly and curling black hair that seemed to hold himself up as leader without even saying anything. My eyes narrowed as I took in his stance, pegging his egotistical nature from far away even though we had yet to meet. He hung back and eyed me just as carefully as I eyed him and I swept him, easily picking up on the old police shirt.

_"No wonder."_ I thought.

Another guy that seemed about my age came forward without caution to me as a newcomer, concern and worry etched across his features before a blush tinted his cheeks when his eyes raked over my appearance. He was Asian and almost a little timid as I gazed at him curiously, wondering why he seemed so concerned for someone he didn't even know.

Because he _didn't_ know me…none of them did.

"Honey? Are you alright?"

I turned again to find a woman approaching me, shrugging off the grip of the man I figured to be an ex-cop as she stepped toward me with something along the lines of motherly concern even though she couldn't be but ten years older than me.

"Ye-yes." I coughed out, my throat scratchy and dry. "I just almost tripped over my own feet, my balance is still a little shaky."

The woman smiled and nodded before calling over her shoulder. "Carl? Will you bring me some bottled water at the first-aid kit?"

My eyes snapped to the side when I noticed the rushed movements of a small boy as he darted from her side. I hadn't even _seen_ him there before and I watched as he threw the RV door open and leaped inside in search of her requests. I was so focused on him, still chastising myself for not noticing his presence, that I didn't see the woman reach out and grasp my arm lightly in an attempt to guide me toward the logs that surrounded a fire pit in front of the tent I'd woken up in. I jerked back out of her grasp immediately as if she had burned me, the movement jarring my balance once more and sending me stumbling back into the chest of the man who had stood silently behind me. I didn't move from his touch though when he steadied me, something that prickled at my mind even as I brushed it off.

For whatever reason, _he_ felt safe.

"It's okay," The woman murmured, looking a little shocked and hurt at the same time. "It's okay, I'm _not_ going to hurt you Rachel. I've been helping take care of you with your sister, I'm Lori."

I froze at the mention of Jenny, straightening my spine and supporting my own weight once more as I gazed at her with wide eyes.

"My _sister_?" I questioned. "Where's my sister?"

As if she recognized the fear in my tone and face when images of the worst things I could imagine filtered through my mind, she shook her head violently and let out an apologetic noise.

"She's fine, just fine." Lori murmured.

I stared at her for a moment longer before switching my gaze to the man behind me. I looked at him in question, knowing only he could really answer the question that I held in my eyes. He nodded tightly before opening his mouth, his gruff voice drifting over my nerves and making me shiver.

"Went on a run wit Merle, that s'all." He muttered, crossing his toned arms over his chest.

I nodded and swallowed hard as I glanced up, taking in the worried expressions of the multiple people in front of me and those of people behind them as the boy, Carl, dashed back out of the RV with supplies in tow. They all seemed worried about me and I couldn't understand _why_; and I had no one to ask. Jenny had left me here to go off with this Merle person and I felt the dull burn of anger rise again at the familiarity of the situation. I sucked in a breath, finally letting Lori lead me to the log she had intended to before she guided me on shaky knees to sit. I did so heavily, the air leaving my lungs in a huff as I looked around again at those who stood silently around me.

"Alright," I murmured, gazing into the bright blue eyes of his. "What the hell happened?"


End file.
